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US regulator won't follow Europe's lead and stick higher age ratings on games with loot boxes and daily quests, since it might confuse parents
PC

US regulator won't follow Europe's lead and stick higher age ratings on games with loot boxes and daily quests, since it might confuse parents

Last week, the folks behind PEGI (Pan European Game Information) - the age rating system used for games in Europe outside of Germany - announced plans to update their age rating criteria with four new categories. Games which feature the likes of loot boxes, NFTs, or daily quests designed to push players into coming back because otherwise they'll miss out will automatically be given higher ratings. The ratings board's US equvivalent, the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), have now revea

Rock Paper Shotgun 20.03.2026 13:00 Uhr
Bizarre Lineage codes March 2026
PC

Bizarre Lineage codes March 2026

Redeem these new Bizarre Lineage codes on Roblox to get all the free Stand stat points needed to stay ahead of the curve in this stylishly weird RPG.

PCGamesN 20.03.2026 12:46 Uhr
Shovel It codes March 2026
PC

Shovel It codes March 2026

Get some short-lived double boosts when you redeem these new Shovel It codes and you'll power through big mounds of snow with some top-tier spades.

PCGamesN 20.03.2026 12:46 Uhr
"So that we don't flood the game with amazing loot": Marathon director defends Cryo Archive's weekend-only release in the name of balance, queue times and player prep
PC

"So that we don't flood the game with amazing loot": Marathon director defends Cryo Archive's weekend-only release in the name of balance, queue times and player prep

Marathon game director Joe Ziegler has posted a defence of the decision to release the game's new Cryo Archive map as a weekend-only event. The time restriction has understandably left the more casual Marathon players a bit miffed. It has driven our own Oisin into the arms of Peggle. But Ziegler argues that it's important for three reasons: encouraging players to prepare adequately, avoiding the "flooding" (hey, is this another Halo reference?) of the game's item economy with overpowered Cryo A

Rock Paper Shotgun 20.03.2026 12:32 Uhr
SteamOS update preview brings "initial support" for the Steam Machine, plus new power and Bluetooth tricks for Steam Decks
PC

SteamOS update preview brings "initial support" for the Steam Machine, plus new power and Bluetooth tricks for Steam Decks

The SteamOS 3.8.0 update is available to try now on the Preview branch, and it’s the first to bring "initial support for the upcoming Steam Machine hardware." That is, of course, merely a passing mention of Valve’s reborn PC box in the 3.8.0 patch notes. Am I going to engage strong, some might say excessive optimism that this suggests its recent delay and subsequent release date uncertainty aren’t as damning as they look? Sod it, it’s Friday. Those in search of more prac

Rock Paper Shotgun 20.03.2026 12:00 Uhr
Subnautica 2's early access release date was "self-servingly" leaked by Krafton, "further damaging the game", claim lawyers for reinstated Unknown Worlds CEO
PC

Subnautica 2's early access release date was "self-servingly" leaked by Krafton, "further damaging the game", claim lawyers for reinstated Unknown Worlds CEO

Well, it was never going to wrap up that neatly, was it? It turns out that the emergence of an internal memo revealing that Subnautica 2 is aiming for an early access release in May won't be the moment that the messy legal dispute between publishers Krafton and three former lead developers on the game - one of whom's now been reinstated - ends. Lawyers representing Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill - the three leads - have now accused Krafton of having "int

Rock Paper Shotgun 20.03.2026 11:30 Uhr
Crimson Desert patch stops bosses attacking you mid-revival, also takes aim at crashes and UI problems
PC

Crimson Desert patch stops bosses attacking you mid-revival, also takes aim at crashes and UI problems

Pearl Abyss have released the first proper update for their grand and obfuscatory open world RPG Crimson Desert, introducing a slew of tweaks for the game's many, many systems. The developers have added new finishing blows or follow-up attacks and skills for certain moves, and a new tutorial quest for a particular section in chapter 3, but the most important changes, I think, are the bug fixes and general attempts to make Crimson Desert less "like a product exploding at the waist with far too

Rock Paper Shotgun 20.03.2026 11:12 Uhr